Harvard Business School saw a second consecutive year of applications decline. This past year, applications dropped 6.7% to 9,228. The previous year, the 9,886 HBS applications represented a 4.5% drop from the 10,351 applications received in 2017-2018. That 2017-2018 application represented a sort of ‘high water mark’ as it was the school’s first season with over 10,000 applications since 2001-2002.

This application drop isn’t as severe as the 8.5% drop experienced at Michigan Ross or certainly as severe as the whopping 22.5% drop reported by Dartmouth Tuck. Instead, it’s more in line with the more moderate 4.6% drop experienced at Stanford as there is still a flight to quality among those still applying to graduate business school.

Will the trend of application declines continue for the foreseeable future? Maybe and maybe not. Obviously, no one knows for sure. However, if you are considering an MBA, don’t worry about what others are doing. Instead, focus on yourself and what’s in your best interest. If an MBA will help you achieve your career goal, then it probably makes sense to pursue it. If, on the other hand, it won’t help you achieve your career goals, it shouldn’t matter if everyone else is applying.

If you want to schedule a complimentary assessment to review your candidacy and see if an MBA makes sense, please call or email us. We’re always happy to talk!